The Comox Valley Glacier Kings are back at it tonight as they host the Saanich Predators in one of three VIJHL games on tap. Comox is coming off a 6-4 loss to the Westshore Wolves on Wednesday while Saanich defeated Kerry Park 5-3 last night. The Glacier Kings remain in 5th place in the North Division with a 5-7-2-1 record, 3 points ahead of Lake Cowichan who have 2 games in hand. With Saanich’s win yesterday, they sit in 4th place in the South at 4-10-0-0

These two teams played back on September 12th at George Pearkes Arena where the Preds shutout the Glacier Kings 3-0. It’s hard to say who holds the edge in this one. Saanich is more of a run and gun team as they score more goals than the GKings on a nightly basis but they also allow more. The Yeti have settled into a solid defensive squad.

The one thing the road team will have an advantage in tonight will be a prolific scorer in Elijah Kim. He’s a 19 year old dynamo out of Victoria that can change a game. After 14 games, Kim has compiled 12G, 9A, 21Pts. He has recorded at least one point in 12 of the 14 games he’s participated in. He’s 5th in the VIJHL in scoring, 2nd in power play goals and tied for 1st in shorthanded markers. The problem for his club though is they let in way too many goals. They are a minus 22 already this season. Comox on the other hand is minus 9. It’s no secret that the Glacier Kings rely heavily on their defensive play and will certainly need it tonight but they will have to try and outscore Kim and the rest of his club. Where will the scoring come from?

One of the guys that has been good offensively lately is forward Leon Mikhalchuk. The 17 year old from Minsk, Belarus started slowly this year potting just 2 goals in his first 9 games but has since scored in each of his last 4 games. At 6’3″ and 181 pounds, you might think of Mikhalchuk as a big ‘net front presence’ where he can score dirty goals. Yes, he can do that, but he also has great hands. Fans have watched him dangle around opposition forwards and defenceman all year and he has a great shot to boot. I asked head coach/GM Curtis Toneff about him, “He’s a guy with a very, very high ceiling. His potential is through the roof. I think he seems to be getting better every week. For him I think it’s a little bit off the ice, playing with out the puck. I’m starting to trust him more out there and that’s led to more shifts and obviously more goals are coming.” He is expected to play for the Prince George Spruce Kings of the BCHL at some point whether it’s this season or next. Last season with Yunost Minsk U17, in 39 games, he tallied 25G 17A 42Pts.

As for special teams, the power play is almost a draw:
Saanich: 16.7% (7th)
Comox: 16.2% (8th)
The Glacier Kings hold a huge advantage on the penalty kill:
Comox: 88% (1st)
Saanich: 75.4% (11th)

Yesterday’s win was the Predators first in October. They had previously lost all 6 games since the calendar turned to this month. Comox Valley did have points in 3 straight games until the loss to Westshore a few nights ago. I’m sure they will appreciate playing on home ice finally as 10 of their first 15 games have been on the road including their last three. A win would pull the Yeti to .500 at the CVSC.

Hopefully we’ll see a big crowd out tonight. Unfortunately, the Glacier Kings may be competing against the Blue Jays game on TV. Game time is 6:30 pm at the Sports Centre.

Darryl Skender